by Brianna Crandall — January 3, 2014—In December, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recognized the state of Ohio and the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) for the LEED certification of the 100th public school building in the state. Ohio reportedly leads the country with more public schools certified under the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program than any other state, with hundreds more in the LEED pipeline. LEED is a globally used rating system for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
Since 2007, the OSFC has required the design of each school building it funds to at least seek LEED Silver certification, with the goal of achieving Gold. Monroe Central High School of the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District in Monroe County became the 100th public education facility in Ohio to achieve LEED, receiving a Silver certification. Of the 100 certifications, 44 schools have exceeded LEED Silver, earning LEED Gold or Platinum.
Other notable LEED-certified schools include London Middle School of the London City School District in Madison County, which was the first LEED Platinum school in the state and boasts a 40% reduction in water usage and 42% energy savings. Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School in Cincinnati became the first public high school in the state to receive LEED Platinum certification.
OSFC Executive Director Richard Hickman called the announcement “exciting, and certainly a statement on how Ohio has embraced environmentally friendly design. These projects, which represent a commitment to both our schoolchildren and the future of our environment, are the direct result of innovative teamwork from architects, construction managers, trade contractors and our project partners, the local school districts. I commend them for their accomplishments.”
According to the USGBC, Ohio is the recognized nationwide leader in sustainable school design, with more than 300 total schools either registered or certified through LEED. On average, Ohio’s first 100 certified schools have been designed to use 35% less energy and an average of 37% less water than comparable buildings constructed and operated to traditional standards. In addition, these schools provide healthier indoor environments conducive to learning, adds the USGBC.
The use of LEED has also had a positive economic impact on Ohio and surrounding states, notes the USGBC. All OSFC projects using LEED encourage the use of products and materials that are harvested, manufactured and/or produced within a 500-mile radius of the project, supporting nearby economies. On average, nearly 35% of building materials for these schools was procured from regional sources, and 22% of the schools’ building materials contain recycled content. The 100 schools have also diverted more than 188,114 tons and 57,565 cubic yards of construction waste from Ohio landfills.
A complete listing of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission K-12 Schools that are LEED certified can be found at the newly launched Ohio collection in the USGBC’s Green Building Information Gateway.
